Nene Humphrey was born in Portage Wisconsin and has lived in New York since 1978.
Her work explores loss, the neurobiology of emotion and the beauty inherent in both. The integration of art and science is fundamental to Humphrey’s practice.
As a long-term artist in residence at New York University’s LeDoux Lab, she collaborates with neuroscientists to depict the seemingly infinite space of emotion and memory as it is processed in the brain. This work includes, drawing, field recordings and videos, and is integrated into performances, installations, sculpture and video works. These are often deeply personal and immerse their audiences in tangled narratives. Collaboration across disciplines has become increasingly important to Humphrey’s practice. Collaborators include: director Mallory Catlett, musician/composers Roberto Carlos Lange, Matana Roberts, Ziboulkle Martinaityte, Anaïs Maviel, cellist Clare Monfredo and video and sound designer Simon Harding.
Humphrey has exhibited in numerous museums and galleries including PS1 Contemporary Art Center, Sculpture Center, New York, NY the McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, TX, Mead Museum, Amherst, MA, Palmer Museum, PA, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA, and the Lesley Heller Gallery, New York, NY.
She has received awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, The Rockefeller Foundation, Brown Foundation, Asian Cultural Council, Dora Maar Foundation, Watermill Arts and Anonymous was a Woman among others. Her work has been written about in numerous publications including The New York Times, Art in America and ArtNews, Sculpture Magazine, and Hyperallergic.
Humphrey currently resides in Brooklyn, NY.